Cover-fastening for fruit-jars.



Patented Dec 24, 190i.

I. P. DUOLITTLE. COVER FASTENING FOB FRUlT JARS.

A ucatim filed Sept. 26, 1901.

(No Model.)

1' cams prrsns co PH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRVIN PARKER DOOLITTLE, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

COVER-FASTENING FOR FRUIT-JARS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N 0. 689,543, datedDecember 24, 1901.

Application filed September 26, 1901. Serial No. 76,644. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVIN PARKER DOOLIT- TLE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, Canada,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cover,- Fastenings. forFruit- Jars, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to fastening devices for the covers offruit-jars and other vessels of the type described in Letters Patentissued to me January 2, 1900, No. 640,182, and June 12, 1900, No.651,500. The fastenings shown in said patents consist, briefly stated,of Wire clips which are connected to the cover by vertical pivots, so asto swing horizontally in fastening and releasing the cover, and whichhave each an upper arm which bears upon the cover and a lower arm whichengages underneath the rim or flange at the open top of the jar orvessel, each arm having an angular or elbow form and bearing against thecover or rim with its elbow portion, while its free portion projectsbeyond the peripheral edge of the cover. The fastenings shown in each ofmy said patents are objectionable in certain respects. In that of theearlier patent the clip is pivoted to the cover by a pivot-pin, whichpasses through a hole extending entirely through the ear on the glasscover. The hole weakens the ear, so that great difliculty is found inconnecting or riveting the clip to the pivot-pin without breaking theear. The ears also frequently break in the use of the jars. Thefastening of the second patent avoids this objection,'

but is itself open to the objection that it requires the use of a yokeor spanner, which extends across the cover and holds the pivotpins inrecesses in the ears. This materially increases the cost of thefastening and detracts from its appearance.

The object of the present invention is to produce a fastening which willpossess the advantages of the type referred to, but which will be freefrom the objections incident to the patented devices, and which isexceedingly simple and can be produced at a mini mum cost.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevationof a fruit-jar provided with my improved cover-fastening and showing thefastening-clips in the locked position. Fig. 2 is a fragmentarysectional elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, showing the clips locked.Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the clips unlocked. Fig. 4 is a topplan view showing the clips locked. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one ofthe clips before the final hip bends are given to the arms. Fig. 6 is asimilar view of a completed clip. Fig. 7 is an edge elevation of theclip viewed from the outer end.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A indicates a fruit-jar or other vessel having at or near its open upperend or mouth the usual projecting rim or flange a, having a beveledlower face.

B represents thecover or cap, of any suitable or desired shape, adaptedto cover the mouth of the jar or vessel. The cover has, preferably, adepending outer flange b, adapted to extend down over and surround therim or flange a of the jar.

O" represents the projecting pivot-ears,

formed on the cover for receiving the fastening-clips D. In order toeffect a tight joint between the jar and the cover or cap, the latter isprovided on its under side with an annular rib or bead e, adapted tobear on the top of a packing-gask'etf, of rubber or other suitablematerial, which is placed on the upper face of the jar-rim, as usual.

Any suitable number of fasteningclips maybe attached to the cover, twobeing shown in the drawings on diametrically opposite sides of thecover. Each clip, as shown, is made of a single piece of wire bent intothe form shown and comprises upper and lower arms g, a bar h, connectingthe outer or free ends of the arms, and short pivot-studs 1', formed atthe inner ends of the arms. Each arm is formed near its pivot with anelbow or angular bend 70 so arranged that when the clip is closed theelbow portion of the upper arm bears upon the cover and that of thelower arm bears against the under side of the rim, as shown in Figs. 1,2, and 4, while when the clip is open the elbow of the lower arm clearsthe rim, so that the cover can be lifted from the vessel, as shown inFig. 3. Each arm is bent up near the middle of its main portion betweenthe elbow and the free end of the arm, as shown at Z, so that the armhas a crowning or hip-shaped form, being concave on its under side. Thepivot-studs i are bent on the arms toward each other, and the innerportions m of the arms on which the studs are formed stand at an acuteangle to the main portions, so that when the clip is closed the elbowportions have moved past the dead-center, which lies in the radial linedrawn through the center of the cover and the pivot-line of the clip,whereby the clip is prevented from being accidentally opened. The outerconnecting-bar It lies in a vertical plane which stands at an acuteangle to the main portions of the arms and approaches the pivots so thatthe bar stands near the peripheral face of the cover and the car when.

the clip is closed and does not project beyond the car, as shown at Fig.4. This connect ing-bar is preferably bent to form a thumbpiece composedof .eonverging upper and lower bars h, which are connected by roundedbends with each other and with the outer ends of both arms.

The clip is preferably formed in the form shown in Fig. 5, with the armsstraight and substantially parallel between the elbows and outer ends,and is applied to the cover by placing one pivot-stud in its socket andthen springing the opposite stud into itsvsocket. In this condition ofthe .clip the elbows are liable to be so far apart that the springing ofthe elbows in use is liable to spring the studs out of their sockets.The main portions of the arms are now bent by a suitable tool to formthe hip-bends, whereby the elbow portions of the arms are brought closertogether These hip-bends are preferably made ,after the clip is appliedto the cover, forthe reason that otherwise the arms would have tobespread so far apart in springing the clip in place on the cover thatthe resiliency of the arms would be more or less impaired. The elbowportions of the arms being thrown nearer together than the outer ends ofthe arms by reason of said hip-bends, the elbow portions engage the rimor flange and the marginal portion of the cover, while the outerportions of the arms are held clear or out of contact. The describedbent formation of the connecting-bar adds to the inherent resiliency ofthe metal of the clip a torsional spring action which greatly increasesthe clamping strength and life of the clip and also enables the outerends to spread as the elbows are spread in riding up on the incline,

whereby the tendency to spreading at the pivoted ends of the arms iscorrespondingly reduced.

The" sockets are somewhat larger than the pivots in order to insure aneasy movement of the clips and prevent cramping or binding, which mightcause the breaking of the ears.

The under face of the flange or the upper face of the cover, or both,are beveled or inclined, so that the arms are spread or sprung apartwhen the clips are turned into locking position, their elastic tendencyto return to their normal position pressing the cover tightly down onthejar.

When the cap or cover is to be secured to the jar, the clips are swungout, as shown in v Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 4, until theirelbow portions lie outside of the edge of the rim or flange. The coveror cap is then placed on the jar or vessel with its edge flangeinclosing the rim and its bead resting on the packing-gasl'ze't afterwhich the fasteningclips are swung into tlie lock'e'd position,(indicated in full lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 4,) in which their elbowportions engage the'marginal portion of the top of the cap and the lowerface of the jarrim.

My improved fastening is very simple in construction it can be producedat comparatively small expense, it does not tend to break the ears ofthe cover either in applying the clips to the same or innse, and itproduces a tight and efficient closure of the jar or other vessel.

I-claim as my inven'tion 1. The combination witli'a' vessetprovided atits open end with a projecting rim or flange and a cover or cap havingpivot-sockets in its upper and lower sides, of a fastening-clipconsisting of upper and lower arms adapted to bear, respectively,against the cover or cap and said rim or flange and havin'gat theirseparated ends inturn'ed pivotstuds which engage in said sockets and attheir opposite ends a connecting member, substantially as set forth. g

2. The combination with a vessel provided at its open end with aprojecting rim or flange and a cover or cap having pivot-sockets in itsupper and lower sides, of a fastening-clip consisting of upper and lowerarms havingcl'am'ping elbows adapted to bear, respectively, against thecover or cap andsaid rim or flange and having at their separated endsint'urn'e'd pivot-studs which engage in said sockets and at theiropposite endsa bent connecting member, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a vessel provided at its open end with aprojecting rim or flange and a cover or cap having pivot-sock'etsin its11 pp'er and lower sides, of a fastening clip consisting of upper andlower arms havingclainpin g elbows adapted to bear, respectively,against the cover or cap and said rim or flange, and having at theirseparated inner ends pivot-studs which engage in said sockets and havingoutside of said elbows hip bends and at their outer ends a connectingmember, sub stantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a vessel provided at its open end with aprojecting rim or flange, and a cover or cap having pivot-sockets in itsupper and lower sides, of a fastening-clip consisting of upper and lowerarms adapted to bear, respectively, against the cover or cap and saidrim or flange and having at their separated ends inturned pivot-studswhich engage in said sockets and at their opposite ends a connectingmember which is bent out of the plane of the upper and lower arms and x0adds to the spring action of the latter, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 12th day of September, 1901.

IRVIN PARKER DOOLITTLE. Witnesses:

ALBERT PHOBES,

DICK MCQUISTRON.

